I'm not sure I'd be meaningfully more upset if they kept the name Rockets, or changed to the Spurs.... I'd be upset in either case. Sac fans are getting screwed if this happens... there's no way around that. But then, it's not a universally right that your city should have a professional sports team, even if you do vote to pony up money for a new arena. It's a private business (sometimes financed with public monies) and the Maloofs can sell to whomever they want, as long as they abide by whatever contracts they have with the NBA, etc.
Let's be frank about the whole Seattle thing. I wasn't pissed off at OKC for moving the Sonics. That is 100% within their own right to do so. What I was pissed off was the pussyfooting around the issue that OKC did. The fallacy was that OKC happened at the very last minute because an arena deal couldn't be reached. In truth, the owners lied to fans, and then bled them dry until the team was moved. They let fans believe there was ever a chance the team would stay their in OKC. Balmer and Co have done the exact opposite of that. The group has stated that the team could move and start playing up there in as little as 9 months. They aren't milking Sacramento and they aren't pulling a fast one on them. Losing your team is like losing a player to a trade, it's part of the business. It sucks and I hate it, but that is the league we watch. In your analogy, if San Antonio poached the Rockets I would be angry, but I would eventually accept it. I wouldn't blame the ownership, I would blame the fans if anything, especially the fans who could actually contribute financially enough to maybe even try and save the team. I would blame the previous ownership as well for selling a team to a new owner who had every intent on moving the team.
I guess my point is, there should be some respect for history from the nba office. They can't just keep moving franchises if they fail to get a new arena, or their owners are wispy-washy or bad management, or like in Seattle's case, trying to right a previous wrong by doing another wrong. In my original analogy, it would be like erasing everything the Rockets ever accomplished...the Twin Towers...the championships...Yao and T-Mac...etc...and recounting it with the Spurs champion banners. I wouldn't be ok with that. Granted the Kings haven't done crap, but they are a fabric of the NBA history like the Clippers and Warriors and Wizards. If this type of thing is allowed (and it already has with the Sonics), who's to say 15 years from now the Magic, T-Wolves, Suns, Mavs or even the Rockets won't be next? The league has got to step up and stop this. Buy the teams like New Orleans for a while if they have to.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>George Maloof Speaks Up, Says a Deal is Not Close <a href="http://t.co/HHObXIIc" title="http://sbn.to/U8DDFc">sbn.to/U8DDFc</a></p>— Sactown Royalty (@sactownroyalty) <a href="https://twitter.com/sactownroyalty/status/289477280986693632" data-datetime="2013-01-10T21:02:16+00:00">January 10, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I think the problem with high-level sports is that fan's usually forget that this is first and foremost a business. And that like in any business, there are people getting fired, companies getting sold, money being made and money being lost. You kind of find this is in the corporate world as well with "apple fan boys" or "android fan boys". This is a nice comparison and I'm certain a bunch of people would be crying if Apple was sold to Google or the other way around. Bottom line is, fans are getting attached to a business. And IMO that's why watching amateur sports can be so refreshing.
They want to get paid. The Kings are their last solely own business. They sold off the Palms and their Beverage distribution. They have huge debt and owe money to the NBA. They want to milk Sacramento and Seattle for whatever they can.
That's what Seattle gets. All I heard was that Seattle has lots of money and blah blah.. Reminds me of wanksta asking for a bottle price, then gets told he can only enter if he buys a $200 bottle. Hahaha.
http://seattletimes.com/html/sports/2020104985_kings11.html The Maloofs are such freaking jokes. We're broke, we have to sell the team to make money, we're willing to screw over Sacramento to pay off our debtors, but we want sayso over how you use our personal toy after we've sold it to you. I was wondering how they'd transition to being a small minority owner. Apparently they don't view owning a tiny piece as being a minority owner. If Hansen does buy the team, I'd want those guys far away from any running of the franchise. They had the glory Adleman-Webber years, but that franchise has been so poorly run since then that it's a joke. I'm curious if Hansen will sweeten the pot to make the Maloofs give up their franchise-running fantasies, or if it'll take them getting seriously pushed by their debts into selling without all the stipulations.
Just give them the right to have their say... as long as he keeps his right to ignore their say. I realize this is exactly what the Maloof's are trying to not have, but I've got to believe with enough persuading and repeating of the dollar figure, and enough "we'll listen to you guys, we promise!" empty promises, something can get done.
Why doesn't the NBA do what they did with the Hornets and just kick the Maloofs out of the NBA if they can't get a deal done?
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Stern on Kings/Seattle: “This will be decided by a committee of owners & NBA’s board of govenors w/the advice of me but not leading the way"</p>— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffZillgitt/status/289550837167030273" data-datetime="2013-01-11T01:54:33+00:00">January 11, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>David Stern said it was fair point from Kings fans who want Ron Burkle to have a shot at matching any offer in effort to keep team in SAC.</p>— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffZillgitt/status/289551699142639616" data-datetime="2013-01-11T01:57:59+00:00">January 11, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I'd like to see the Sonics back if for no other reason than I always liked watching their player introductions on TV before the game. In particular, I liked how the PA guy said the "Seattle Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupersonics!" Which reminds me, why don't TV networks show the starting lineup introductions anymore?
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/01/report-says-kings-sale-is-done-hansen-maloofs-wont-comment/ Looks like it only took $25 million to convince the Maloofs to give up any sayso on their plaything. I know they owe at least several hundred million total to Sacramento and the NBA. Hopefully we'll get someone to comment on it soon. I expect this all to go down one way or another soon. Either they sell to Hansen or someone miraculously steps up with a buttload of money from Sacramento (or Stern sets an unreasonably high relocation fee) and keeps the team in California. I think the NBA wants to have this settled.
